Uber to start operating throughout the whole of Belgium

From December 1st, the American ride-hailing service Uber will also start offering its services throughout Wallonia, just as it already does in Flanders and Brussels. New regulations in Wallonia will make expansion possible.

In February, Uber had already launched its UberTaxi service, a classic stand-up cab service in several cities in Wallonia. The price is set by a meter. Thanks to a relaxation of rules, Uber can now launch its UberX service throughout Wallonia, a system where customers know the price in advance.

UberX

You could only order an UberTaxi in Mons, Liège, Namur, and Charleroi in Wallonia. Thus, professional cab drivers with licenses to use the multinational’s app could offer rides.

Uber service was limited in Wallonia due to strict legislation in the country’s south. However, as of December 1st, the new cab regulations that were already in place in Brussels and Flanders are also coming into effect in the Walloon region. So, from then on, all drivers with a street cab or station license can also offer the UberX service.

Price reduction

“The arrival of UberX in Wallonia will allow Walloon drivers to reach an expanded network of passengers, increase their income opportunities, and benefit from the flexibility that allows them to choose if, when, and where they want to work,” says Laurent Slits, General Manager of Uber in Belgium.

Uber also claims that the reform will lower fares. The minimum price per kilometer would become 1,65 euros, or 50% less than the current average.

Commission of 35%

Just a few weeks ago, Brussels street taxi drivers protested at the headquarters of the online platform Uber. The drivers pledged a unified Brussels statute for street cabs and cabs with a stand.

Street taxi drivers who work through platforms such as Uber and Bolt also want to receive a higher minimum fare and pay less commission to the platform companies. According to several cab drivers, Uber has raised the commission from 25% to 35%.

Uber contradicts that. According to Uber, the average service fee in Brussels remains 25%, but the company has introduced variable prices ranging from 3% to 35%. The measure aims to make certain trips, particularly the shortest ones, more attractive to drivers, who were deterred from taking passengers by a flat 25% charge. On longer trips, however, the commission is higher.

License not for the entire territory

Even the new regulations in Wallonia will still cause headaches for Uber drivers. After all, according to the business newspaper L’Echo, a cab driver there must still have a license in the municipality where he wants to drive. In other words, anyone wanting to drive all over Wallonia must have 262 licenses.

In Flanders, on the other hand, the license is unique for the entire territory. So, for example, a cab driver who only has a Mons license and needs to take a customer to Wavre will have to return with an empty car.

Uber has operated in Belgium, specifically Brussels, for about ten years. As in other European countries, the arrival of the Uber cab app initially caused several protests, one being that the company would not abide by the rules imposed on other cab companies. Moreover, there was also a safety concern because there was little or no control over the drivers.